Write by Salter -- a blog

By Jeff SalterI'm delighted – and proud – today to welcome my own brother, Charles A. Salter — author of several novels and non-fiction monographs (as well as scores of articles). I’ve asked him to tell us about “Borrowed Bones,” the fourth novel in his Brad Stout Adventures series. And be sure to check out these review excerpts.- - - - - - Borrowed BonesBy Charles A. Salter

Borrowed Bones is based about 95% on scientific fact and true historical events. The Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute really does have a nuclear/radiological emergency response team, packed and ready to go at a moment’s notice to any trouble spot in the world. For instance, during my years there I was called upon to provide the Japanese government with a plan for reducing public panic and to train all the Japanese first response nuclear medical teams following the Tokaimura nuclear incident in 1999, the worst in Japan’s history up to that time. The Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico really is the largest in the world and did send the famed “Arecibo Message” to possible aliens in outer space in 1974. Cosmic ray radiation is of great scientific concern as a possible lethal hazard, and new kinds of radioactive matter such as positronium and other so-called “exotic atoms” are still being discovered. Historically, elements of the Puerto Rican independence movement really did try to assassinate President Truman in 1950 and shot up the U.S. Congress in 1954. The leader of that latter shooting team was a woman (Lolita Lebron) who remained a hero in Puerto Rico until her death in 2010. The fictional element in this novel comes from me tying together all of the above facts and many more and then posing the question, what if an unknown source from outer space responded to the Arecibo Message with a new kind of radiation beam capable of destroying the world? How could we identify and stop it? Read Borrowed Bones to find one possible solution!

Review Excerpts “… the story never lags, continually building intrigue and suspense ... an action-crammed thriller ... [with] many obstacles that readers will enjoy watching Stout overcome. Coursing action with a sci-fi flavor.” — Kirkus Reviews “… a mysterious race against time to contain a disaster … an engaging read the whole way through … realistic and interesting … enjoyable for readers of mysteries … would recommend starting from the first adventure and working through the others.” — San Francisco Book Review “The hair-raising, intense, and brilliantly woven mystery of Borrowed Bones will have readers on the edge of their seats.” — Readers’ Favorite

Cover Blurb A lethal Unexplained Radiation Phenomenon in Puerto Rico baffles government scientists. The White House orders total secrecy and sends top radiation expert Major Brad Stout to help. Struggling to control the spreading menace, Brad must also battle a mysterious terrorist group which interferes at every step and clearly wants him dead. If not halted immediately, the disaster will race across Puerto Rico and the rest of the world ... but there’s a saboteur on the inside. And what motivates the lovely Lindsey Cowell to insinuate herself into Brad’s life? Is she trying to steal him away from bride Mary Lou? With the deadly clock ticking down, whose bones must Brad borrow to finally solve the puzzle? And can he get them in time?This thriller grabs the reader by the throat in the first paragraph and doesn't let go until the last!— — --

Brad Stout Adventures [series]

The first trilogy of the series focused primarily on Major Brad Stout’s missions to protect the nation from radiation threats related to eBay sales and purchases of radioactive material. This trilogy was called THE EBAY DETECTIVE and included The eBay Plot (book #1), The eBay Code (#2), and The eBay Guardian (#3).Borrowed Bones (#4 in the series now known as Brad Stout Adventures) introduces two new recurring characters to the familiar cast of the first trilogy and launches into a new direction of action thrillers with little eBay connection. — — --Amazon digital format only 99 cents!http://www.amazon.com/Borrowed-Bones-Stout-Adventure-Adventures/dp/1492702706/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1388678037&sr=1-1

Bio Blurb Author Charles A. Salter served 28 years as an active-duty Army officer, nine of them at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, the primary military lab responsible for radiation defense.

Man-Cold -- Excerpt # 1By J. L. Salter For the next several Saturdays, I plan to feature short excerpts from my newest novel — a screwball comedy, “Curing the Uncommon Man-Cold”.A stubborn boyfriend with the sniffles is the last thing Amanda needs in her apartment during THIS work crisis, but how can she get clueless Jason to leave without just ending their relationship? — — --Excerpt # 1 From Chapter 1Amanda, in her apartment; her best friend Christine visiting; Amanda’s boyfriend Jason on his way over. — -- “I don’t think I can hold up…” Amanda’s eyes were full. “Jason just left the doctor.” Her apartment suddenly felt smaller. “What on earth is wrong?” Her friend Christine had just arrived and already plopped down on the small sofa. “Cancer? Paralysis?” She probably pictured even worse diagnoses because Christine zealously read supermarket tabloids. Amanda groaned softly. Christine grabbed her younger friend’s shoulders. “You’ll feel better if you talk about it.” She moistened her lips slightly. Medical news was known to be among her favorites, along with stories about nasty divorces. Amanda looked for her nearest tissue box. “It’s… a… man-cold.” Christine sighed heavily. “Don’t wind me up like that. I thought this was a real situation.” “It is!” Amanda had been home from work about twenty minutes and still had her heels on. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” “Just ship that basket case back to his momma.” Christine snapped her fingers. “Let Margaret wait on him hand and foot for the next week.” “More likely two weeks. Remember when he was sick in January?” “I thought he had triple-Nashville-man-ditis or something.” Amanda nodded. “Totally helpless. He could barely use the bathroom by himself.” “Look, Jason was overindulged from the get-go. I bet Margaret nursed him too long. Ship him back.” “I can’t.” Amanda closed her eyes. “She absolutely won’t take him.” “His own momma?” “The last time a sick Jason stayed at her place, it nearly put Margaret in the hospital.” Amanda lowered her voice. “She said Jason moaned every waking hour. Hardly ever moved from her couch for over a week… and he limped, for cryin’ out loud!” Amanda shook her head. “I can’t live with that.” “You can’t let him stay here! You won’t survive two days with Jason’s sick-over.” Christine sputtered. “There’s got to be somewhere else… somebody else. Maybe he can bunk with a buddy.” “A buddy? Just picture irresponsible Kevin trying to assist helpless Jason who’s down with a deadly illness. Kevin would hightail it out of his own apartment so quick you’d think he just spotted a fumigation fog sliding under his door.” “Slow down and rethink this.” Christine touched her friend’s forearm. “Do you really know this person well enough to nurse him back from near-terminal man-sniffles?” “Know him? We’ve been sleeping together since the Halloween party last year. My place and his!” Christine leaned in closer, even though she should have remembered this development. “At his place too?” “Three times.” Amanda was prepared to list the dates. “Hmm. That is serious, I guess.” Christine waved her hand briefly. “Okay. So you do have an investment, so to speak. The issue is how to tend Jason enough that it even registers with him, yet not so much that the effort kills you.” “Now you understand why I’m freaking.” Amanda moaned again. “Not to mention these are my Hell Weeks at work.” — -- I hope you’ll come back next Saturday for another short excerpt.

Back-Cover BLURB A stubborn boyfriend with the sniffles is the last thing Amanda needs in her apartment during THIS work crisis, but how can she get clueless Jason to leave without just ending their relationship? Fortunately, her divorced girlfriend hurriedly develops the devious scare-cure. Amanda throws everything at Jason that Christine can dream up and that apartment becomes the least hospitable place a man could possibly imagine. Extensive potpourri and a glued-down toilet seat is just the beginning. But how serious are the privacy risks as Christine blogs about her scare-cure? Can this crazy scheme really get Jason out of Amanda’s hair at home before she loses her mind at work? Will Amanda’s relationship even survive the kooky cure of Jason’s man-cold?Buy link:Only $1.95 in digital format; paperback also available (price varies)http://www.amazon.com/Curing-Uncommon-Man-Cold-J-L-Salter-ebook/dp/B00HERC3UC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390055498&sr=1-1Facebook Author Page:https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJLSalter

Welcome, Amy (& her new release)by Jeff Salter

I’m delighted to welcome colleague and friend, the talented Amy Mullen, to my blog today. In addition to telling us about one of her novels, Amy has also agreed to answer several questions for us. Let’s begin with her bio sketch and the questions.Author Bio: Amy Mullen is a freelance writer and romance author living in Corning, NY, with her husband, Patrick, her two children, and an orange cat named Steve. She has written two medieval romances called A Stormy Knight and Redefining Rayne. Amy has been writing about love both lost and regained since she was old enough to have her first broken heart. Her love of history and her intermittent jaunts into amateur genealogy led her to a love affair with writing historical fiction. When not writing, she snaps pictures, gets nutty over football, enjoys the company of her family, and when time allows, loves to bury her nose in a good book. She can be found online at:www.authoramymullen.comwww.facebook.com/authoramymullen— — --

Here are Amy’s responses to my probing questions:1. Have you ever encountered people who seem unable / unwilling to comprehend that writing is something you are driven to do? Sure, in an off-hand kind of way. One of the biggest questions family and friends ask me is about finding time to write. Sometimes, it is hard to explain that I make time because I have to do it – without neglecting my kids or my husband. I don’t know that they cannot comprehend or understand that it is a compulsion sometimes, I think they may just have trouble relating their particular passion with mine. Everyone has something they are compelled to do, just like writers are driven to write. Some people knit, or paint, or work at their job until they are exhausted. It’s the same thing. So in a way anyone can relate to it if they really think about what drives them.2. If you were not a writer, can you imagine what else you might do to express the creativity within you? I often do other creative things – I’m just not that good at them. I have tried painting and all types of crafts. Some results are better than others. In one form or another, I would have to be doing something if I were not writing. I’d still be making jewelry or trying to pursue a career in photography.3. Give us at least one example of someone who has contacted you and expressed how much your writing meant to them. A woman wrote me once a long time ago. This was before I was published as a romance author. My main income was writing web content. I remember her well not only because of what she said to me, but because we shared the same last name. I had written an article about social anxiety and she wrote expressing her gratitude. She had printed it out and hung it on her wall so she could remember that someone understands. I do not suffer from social anxiety like she does, but I do have social issues. I’m a total introvert. For her, however, the condition was debilitating. When I wrote web content, I always did my best to really understand something or I would not write it. She said my article was the only one she read that she could relate to or that explained how she was feeling. I was really touched that she sought me out and it made me feel good to have touched her life, even if in such a small way.4. In the interviews & blog questions you've handled over the years, what is one writing question which you've WISHED had been asked of you ... but never has been asked? No one has ever asked me about my educational background. What qualifies me to write books anyway?5. What's your answer to # 4 above? There is a reason why I wish I would be asked that question, and the answer is probably not what you might suspect. I have no special writing education. I did not take creative writing in college, nor did I study literature any more so than anyone else in my high school. I did, however, devour every book I could get my hands on. I went to college twice, but neither degree has anything to do with writing. I naturally did well in English throughout school. I always had an A average (math was another story!). Other than that, I have no special knowledge. The reason I want to answer this question is because I don’t want anyone with a passion for writing to think they have to have some fancy degree to do it. I have always had a good vocabulary and have always used proper grammar — well, within reason. It was a gift from my grandparents and my parents. They spoke properly and passed it on to me. My point is that if anyone has a dream and a passion — just do it. You may not think there is anything special about you but there are many readers out there that may disagree. Please, do it! — — --

Redefining Rayne by Amy Mullen Published by Astraea Press Medieval RomanceTag Line: Will her most painful secret be the key to her greatest joy?Blurb: Rayne de Latham, cousin to King William Rufus, should be enjoying a life of privilege. Instead, she has only known misery. Her disastrous first marriage yielded nothing but pain, suffering, and three stillborn children. She believes she is cursed and is certain another pregnancy will end in another tragedy. When the king seeks to get rid of her by sending her to marry one of his knights, she will do just about anything to get out of her betrothal. Widower Andre de Grelle is father to two small boys who came to him by marriage. When his first wife jumps off the castle walls in a fit of madness, he keeps the boys he has grown to love as his own. When king sends him a new bride, the lovely but troubled Rayne, he vows to have more patience with her than he had with his first wife. Once Rayne arrives at Cuxton Castle, Andre realizes there is much more to her than meets the eye. She does everything she can to force him to send her away, but nothing works. Frustration grows as Andre discovers his betrothed is hiding something from him about her past, something so devastating she cannot speak the words out loud. In the midst of a siege on nearby Pevensey Castle, a truth comes to light that changes everything. As the real story of Rayne’s past emerges, lives change forever. Will love be enough, or will it be easier to walk away?

Excerpt: Andre moved closer to her. His body was mere inches from hers as he lifted his other hand and slowly tilted her face toward his. Cupping her cheek, he wiped away a tear with his thumb. "You have no idea how fascinating you are," he whispered. Involuntarily, her eyes closed and she tilted her chin up. She felt his soft lips brush hers and she started to tremble. The short, light touch of his mouth stirred something in her. A young maiden's dream of love, of being loved and cherished, welled up from a place where she had hidden her hopes a long time ago. She returned his kiss, but just for a moment. Her eyes flew open, and she pulled her head back. This was all wrong. This was not how this was supposed to happen. In a rush to break the spell, she stammered out the first thing she thought of, "Someone will see us! Odo may come." An expression of disbelief washed across his features and was replaced by irritation. "Odo? What has he to do with this? He is my guest but hardly has a say in what I do with you." "You…" she stumbled over her words, "you… he is your…" Andre stood and stepped away from her. He stared down at her, but she could no longer read his face. "Do your affections lie with Odo, Lady Rayne?" Buy Link: AmazonBarnes and NobleAstraea Press

New screwball comedy by J. L. SalterStarting NEXT Saturday, I'll start running excerpts here, just to give you a taste of what's involved in the Scare-Cure [which Christine cooks up ... to get Jason out of Amanda's apartment].

A stubborn boyfriend with the sniffles is the last thing Amanda needs in her apartment during THIS work crisis, but how can she get clueless Jason to leave without just ending their relationship?

Fortunately, her divorced girlfriend hurriedly develops the devious scare-cure. Amanda throws everything at Jason that Christine can dream up and that apartment becomes the least hospitable place a man could possibly imagine. Extensive potpourri and a glued-down toilet seat is just the beginning.

But how serious are the privacy risks as Christine blogs about her scare-cure? Can this crazy scheme really get Jason out of Amanda’s hair at home before she loses her mind at work?

Will Amanda’s relationship even survive the kooky cure of Jason’s man-cold?

By Jeff Salter Very pleased to welcome award-winning author Moriah Densley to my blog this week. Not only is she announcing a new release, but she’s also giving away two pieces of jewelry — a pearl bracelet and a magnetic clip bookmark! [See details below for how to enter]. I'm particularly impressed by Moriah’s column here because I recently read another blog in which she explains how she took a summer of art lessons in order to prepare herself for the character, Alysia. [I’ll try to convince her to post a link to that other blog.] http://moriahdensley.com/2014/01/05/i-took-art-lessons-to-write-my-book-2/

“Faking It”By Moriah Densley

I dreamed of being a doctor when I grew up. And an F-16 pilot, and a ballroom dancer, an architect, a rancher, and an auto mechanic. Not to mention my awkward phase in the 90s when I thought I was cut out to be a CIA field agent. Turns out I’m a soccer mom. Yet somehow I’m everything I dreamed of becoming, because I’m also a writer. When a new character starts talking to me (yes, I hear voices in my head), I absorb all the books, documentaries and interviews I can on the character’s background and profession, until I start to think like him. Once I know how the character talks, what he wants, and how he reacts to people and events, it’s time to write. I can explain what it feels like to produce a world with characters, because it’s the mirror side of the reader’s experience… magnified by ten, with blood-sweat-and-tears thrown into the mix. (Anyone nodding in agreement?) If a reader feels pulled in, feels a part of the story, then the author did something right. And that’s why books are magical. We all get to try on being a fireman, or stunt driver, showgirl, ninja, or maybe a Hollywood star. The joy really is in the journey, although I do hope the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t take my internet search history too seriously. I’m honest-to-goodness NOT going to do anything with semtex explosives, hydrochloric acid, anti-tank missiles, and zombies. I’m just writing a book.

In my latest Victorian romance The King Of Threadneedle Street, I attempted an artist heroine, a painter who works in Paris. My background is in music, so channeling Alysia’s stream of consciousness wasn’t an uncomfortable stretch: Alysia made a slight correction with her brush then squinted to blur her vision, heightening the contrast between color and shadow. It revealed a contour beneath the eye socket that needed a dash of safflower to reflect the grey. She hadn’t imagined Andrew’s wedding yet. It would be grand, of course, and the beau monde would be all agog. Heaven help her, she didn’t want to see it. She turned the cap of a smoke-colored oil paint jar in her fingers, giving Geordy a half-nod and careless shrug.…So naturally I made my painter fall in love with a financial prodigy. I know diddly-squat about economics and investing. Even after diving into research like the shameless little geek that I am, the result wasn’t very inspiring. Neither was C-SPAN or the NYSE reports in The Wall Street Journal. My artsy brain simply doesn’t tango with numbers. The solution? Faking it. To write Andrew Tilmore the stock market genius, I observed then imitated people like him, even though I didn’t really “get it.” I relied heavily on my husband, who works in banking and has a marketing degree. If Andrew sounds like a money-man to you, then I’ll pass on the thanks to Mr. Densley: Andrew cursed under his breath. Heaven forbid saving the day should come easily. Anxious, he drummed his fingers on the pile of newspapers printed in German, French, and English strewn across his desk. He’d arranged them in order of cause and effect, a connection of seemingly unrelated events, which would soon give birth to the next. His scrawls in the margins would have looked like gibberish to anyone else. Articles and reports, which supported his conjectures, stuck out at odd angles between the sheets. It was a brilliant mess, but to Andrew it was a crystal ball, a heavenly messenger; because what it proclaimed, no one else in the world likely knew. A cold shiver traveled down his spine and raised the hair on the back of his neck. It was one thing to spy a profitable investment opportunity, to preempt a movement and make a killing on speculation; it was another to translate the language of world economics and discover an impending disaster.

GIVEAWAY Thanks for visiting today. Tell me, when you were a kid, what did you say you wanted to be when you grew up? Did you do it? Or tell us who’s the most interesting character you’ve read about lately. Entertain, dazzle, or shock Jeff Salter with your ideas, and you could win this pearl bracelet or magnetic clip bookmark! Comment below to enter. Two winners will be announced on Friday, Jan. 10.

COVER COPY He owns three shipping companies, a diamond mine, and his own castle. He knows Portuguese, Hindi, Mandarin and Morse code. His assets net thirteen million. Everyone thinks Andrew Tilmore, Lord Preston (the financial prodigy dubbed “The King of Threadneedle Street”) has it all, but he wants the one prize money can’t buy: his childhood sweetheart. Alysia Villier can’t say if it’s worse having Andrew’s father in control of her inheritance or Andrew in control of her heart. He’s ruined her for any other man, but she simply can’t give in to him. She knows he’s destined for great things — marrying a courtesan’s daughter would jeopardize everything he stands for. Keeping Alysia out of trouble and away from eager suitors becomes a cross-continental quest for Andrew, and he won’t be stopped by his old-fashioned family or the disapproval of the ton. After all, he’s a man with the power to play newspapers and investors like pawns, tumble world markets and incite riots… but can he win the biggest gamble of his life?

BIOBestselling author Moriah Densley sees nothing odd at all about keeping both a violin case and a range bag stuffed with pistols in the back seat of her car. They hold up the stack of books in the middle, of course. She enjoys writing about Victorians, assassins, and geeks. Her muses are summoned by the smell of chocolate, usually at odd hours of the night. By day her alter ego is your friendly neighborhood music teacher. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband, four children, and two possibly brain-damaged cats. Moriah has a Master’s degree in music, is a 2012 RWA Golden Heart finalist, 2012 National Reader’s Choice Award winner, and 2012 NRCA“Best First Book” finalist. She’s the author of the bestselling “Rougemont” Historical Romance series from Eskape Press, and the “Network-One” Paranormal Romance series coming 2014 from Entangled Publishing. Moriah is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Greenburger Associates. She’d love to hear from you! Please visit her website & blog: http://moriahdensley.com, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MoriahDensley, or Twitter: http://twitter.com/moriahdensley pages.

Dingbat Publishing and I are pleased to note the following:During the three day period (Dec. 25-27) last week, 1254 people received a FREE download of my newly released screwball comedy, "Curing the Uncommon Man-Cold."That included 1123 downloads in the U.S., 89 in the U.K., 13 in Canada, 12 in Germany, and 106 copies downloaded in 7 other countries.

A stubborn boyfriend with the sniffles is the last thing Amanda needs in her apartment during THIS work crisis, but how can she get clueless Jason to leave without just ending their relationship? Fortunately, her divorced girlfriend hurriedly develops the devious scare-cure. Amanda throws everything at Jason that Christine can dream up and that apartment becomes the least hospitable place a man could possibly imagine. Extensive potpourri and a glued-down toilet seat is just the beginning. But how serious are the privacy risks as Christine blogs about her scare-cure? Can this crazy scheme really get Jason out of Amanda’s hair at home before she loses her mind at work? Will Amanda’s relationship even survive the kooky cure of Jason’s man-cold?

J.L. Salter

I’ve been a writer since my first poems and stories during elementary school days.* co-author of two non-fiction monographs (about librarianship) with a royalty publisher, plus a chapter in another book and an article in a specialty encyclopedia* I've also published articles, book reviews, and over 120 poems * my writing has won nearly 40 awards, including several in national contests * as a newspaper photo-journalist, I published about 150 bylined newspaper articles, and some 100 bylined photos* Decorated veteran of U.S. Air Force (including a remote tour of duty in the Arctic … at Thule AB in N.W. Greenland).* worked nearly 30 years in the field of librarianship.* married parent of two and grandparent of six.